


Trap and release...

by SwanQueenFan1972



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 22:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13797414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanQueenFan1972/pseuds/SwanQueenFan1972
Summary: Something evil has arrived in Storybrooke (again) and Regina is missing. Can Emma find her before it's too late?





	Trap and release...

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick one-shot I wrote a while ago. Cleaned it up a little, and here it is!

“Calm down, Emma. We’ll find her.” Snow held a death grip on the dash of the bug when it careened around another corner, as Emma frantically drove randomly through town.

“I can’t calm down, Mom! It’s been hours and I have no idea where to even look.” Emma glanced at her mother with grief stricken eyes.

“Ok,” Snow said. “Tell me again about this villain. Tell me again, and don’t leave out any details.”

Emma took a shaky breath. “I don’t know what else to tell. Regina had a… feeling? Premonition, maybe? Anyway, she just felt something out of place, so we started looking around. She was drawn to the well.”

“Not surprising. With everything that’s crawled out of there, it’s a good place to start.”

“Right,” Emma agreed. “And her feeling was right. There was black wispy smoke rising from it, and we could hear this rumble. Then, the ground shook and the cloud thickened and grew and the rumble became so loud that I’m amazed you couldn’t hear it in town. When the smoke cleared he was just standing there.”

“Who was he Emma? Think. I know you said you didn’t know, but think about how he looked. Think about other stories you’re familiar with. Did he remind you of anyone?” Snow implored. “Who he is could be the key to finding out where he took her.”

“I know that, Mom, but I don’t know who he is.” Pain laced her voice, because she knew that anything she could figure out might help. “Regina knew though. When the smoke cleared she said, “YOU!” loud and clear. That was all she had time to say. He waved his hand and a cloud enveloped them both and when it cleared they were gone.” She glanced at Snow with haunted eyes. “I didn’t have time to react… it happened so fast. I’m used to stuff attacking us, fighting. Not just…stealing her…” Her voice cracked. She pulled the car over to the side of the road, pounded the steering wheel with the palm of her hand several times before crossing her arms over it and resting her forehead on them. 

Her voice was very small. “What if I can’t find her, Mom? I don’t know where else to look.” Her green eyes turned to Snow. “What if I’m too late? What if she never knows…”

“Never knows what, Emma?”

“How I really feel about her.”

“She knows.” Snow smiled softly, laying a hand on her daughters arm. “She must know. Goodness, Emma, everyone knows how you two feel about each other.”

Emma shook her head. “No, she doesn’t know. She can’t because I made every effort to make sure she didn’t find out. I couldn’t risk losing her. We’re friends. She loves me like a friend.” 

“Dammit!” She hit the steering wheel again. “Think Emma, think, think, think!”

“Emma, maybe it’s time you stopped thinking and started feeling.”

“What?”

Snow smiled. “Wherever she is, she’s counting on you to help her. That’s what you do. That means she’s thinking about you. Tap into that connection you have. Feel her, Emma. Close your eyes, empty your mind and just feel her.”

“Is that how it works with you and Dad?” Emma asked.

“Absolutely. Now, do it.”

Emma was sceptical, but desperate. She closed her eyes and concentrated on thinking of nothing, just listening to the sound of her own heartbeat. To her amazement, she began to feel something. She could feel an image forming in her subconscious, growing stronger as she swore she could feel Regina’s heartbeat beating in sync with her own. Suddenly the image cleared, and her eyes popped open. “I know where she is!” Emma hauled the wheel of the bug around, tires squealing as she accelerated with a speed that had her mother grasping for handholds again. “There’s an abandoned house on the other side of the woods…”

 

*****

 

Regina flexed her wrists futilely against the handcuffs that held her pressed against the wall of the cabin. He laughed, gloating, and reiterated his taunt. “What’s the matter, your majesty? Your power isn’t what it used to be, is it? A little pair of cuffs has you completely under my control!” He cackled, and turned away, putting his attention back onto the large wooden wall attached to an elaborate pulley system, which Regina had been eyeing warily.

Her fear didn’t show, as she raised a brow and said with an acid bite, “A little pair of cuffs? These cuffs have a binding spell on them. Otherwise, you’d be dead by now.” She glared at him, still uncertain who he really was. Oh, she knew him, recognized him. His name was Prince Stephane, but she knew he was so much more. Back in the enchanted forest he’d vied for her attentions, but he’d been a weak, whiney excuse for a man, and she’d not spared him a moments thought. One loveless marriage to a buffoon had been enough. 

He hadn’t possessed magic back then though, so this was new. He was obviously trained by a superior magician, to obtain the power to have taken her under control. She wasn’t being cocky. She had amazing power, and she knew it. His, while perhaps not stronger in a fair battle, was enough to catch her by surprise. “What do you want?” She asked, figuring there must be something she could barter with. Something more than the bitterness of rejection all those years ago must be driving this. 

“Why, I want to kill you.” He smiled at her, his lips curling into an evil sneer. “I realize it’s all a little anticlimactic now, what with you being here in this… realm.” The last word dripped with disgust. “You have no real power here. No minions blindly stumbling to cater to your every whim in hopes of sparing themselves and their families from your wrath. No, you’re basically worthless now, but, no matter. It will still be very satisfying to have you die at my hand.” He made the final connection on his contraption and stood back to admire it with a smile. 

His eyes skittered to her, where she still struggled against the cuffs. “Stop toying with those. They aren’t going to break. Their spell is very sound. Aren’t you curious about my machine?”

“Not Really,” Regina did her best to sound bored and uninterested, when is reality she was ever so anxious to know what the thing was capable of. 

“Well, I’m going to tell you, nonetheless. You see those cables up there? They will slowly begin to wind around that log. Very, very, painfully slow. As they wind around and around the wall will advance toward you. You probably can’t see from there, but tiny nails are embedded in the wall. Very tiny, like a thousand needles just waiting to pierce into something soft.” The last word dropped off his tongue almost obscenely and Regina struggled not to visibly shiver.

‘Emma,’ her mind cried inside, ‘where are you?’ Regina had never been so terrified in her life, not here, nor the enchanted forest. This monster wanted to kill her, and she was entirely at his mercy. Her only hope was to try and stall until Emma found her. Emma would find her; she always did. It was just a matter of time, but the question is, would it be in time?

“ I think it’s about time to let the fun begin, don’t you, your majesty?” He sneered as he put his hand on the level that controlled the winch of the machine. He frowned, “ Alas, I won’t be here to see you meet your demise, but the portal will close soon and I cannot risk being trapped here. So, I bid you adieu.” He threw the switch and the winch gave a loud creak and began to turn with barely visible movement. “Oh, if I were you, I would throw myself upon the nails as soon as they are close enough. Get it over with quickly. Huh, and people say I have no heart.” He laughed as he paused in the doorway, “There’s only one way to stop it, but I don’t have to worry about that possibility because, well, you are who you are. Goodbye, you evil bitch.” The door closed and Regina was alone.

Only now did she allow the tears to flow. She’d managed to show little emotion in front of Stephane, but now, alone it came pouring out and she sobbed with fear and frustration. She closed her eyes and thought of Emma. Emma was the only person in the world she completely trusted to have her back, and she willed the blonde to find her. She used every ounce of strength to project her thoughts to Emma, as she eyed the wall inching slowly closer to her.

***

“I feel her. She’s close.” Emma parked the bug at the edge of the woods and turned to Snow, “ Take the car and go get help.”

“I’m not going to leave you, Emma!”

“I’ll be fine, but... just in case we need help... please mom?” At Snows reluctant nod, Emma slipped from the car and ran into the woods. She could feel Regina calling her, and it felt more urgent by the minute. Her side ached as she ran, but she pushed through it, veering around trees and leaping over a small creek, following an invisible thread that was pulling her in the right direction. 

Finally she could see the cabin in the distance and she slowed, approaching it with caution in case the assailant was still there. She slipped up to the window and peered inside, seeing very little except for a plank wall in the middle of the room. She moved around to the side and peered in another window. She gasped and her blood went cold. She could see Regina , cuffed and tied to a ring in the floor as the plank wall slid slowly closer. Regina was crying and Emma’s heart ached. She peered into windows on all four sides before deciding that Regina was alone. 

Still, she was quiet as she opened the door and slipped inside. 

“Emma,” Regina sobbed with relief. Her saviour was there. “You found me...”

“ I will always find you,” Emma stated, as it was clearly a fact. Emma eyed the wall, noticing the nails for the first time. “Fuck me...”

“ Don’t swear at it, Miss Swan, just stop it!” Regina said.

Emma raised her arms and let loose a stream of light magic, which did little except heat up the already warm room. She spotted the lever, but it was obviously enchanted as it refused to budge . Emma pulled a hunting knife from her boot and tried cutting the rope to no avail.

Regina shook her head, “He’s very good. This spell is very thorough and he’s thought of everything. He did say there was a way to break it, but that I would never be able to do it, because I’m me... whatever that means.” 

Emma watched the wall inch forward. At the speed it was moving she figured there was about a half hour at least before it reached Regina. There was time to think. Obviously brute force was not the answer, so she was wasting her time there. She went to Regina and sat near her, cross legged, and reached for her hands, which the brunette instantly grasped like a lifeline. “Who is he Regina?”

Regina frowned. “ I knew him as a want to be suitor after Leopoldo died. Prince Stephane, from some kingdom I never even bothered to remember. I refused him, and it made him angry, but he didn’t have magic then. What he acquired is very powerful, and very dark.”

“More powerful than yours?”

“In a fair fight, no. But with the cuffs... I might as well be a child. I have nothing.”

Emma scrunched he face up in thought, her thumbs stroking Regina’s hands as she gripped them tightly. “You have no idea how the spell can be broken?” 

“He was very vague.” Regina looked directly into Emma’s eyes. “Emma, we might have to face the fact that this could be the end.”

Emma was already shaking her head, “ No, I refuse to believe that! It doesn’t end this way... it can’t!”

Regina gave her a gentle smile. “Emma, these last few years have been amazing. The things we’ve accomplished... the way I have been able to redeem myself, with your help... it’s all been more than I deserved. More than I ever expected. I know that I’ve made a difference for the better, and that you will be with Henry...” A sob broke her voice and it broke Emma’s heart. She wiggled closer and wrapped her arms around Regina. The older woman stiffened momentarily, then relaxed in Emma’s arms, resting her head on Emma’s chest as tears streamed down both their faces. 

Time crept on and the wall was now only about five feet away. They could see the nails very clearly now, very sharp and so many of them. “You should go... I don’t want you to see this...” Regina tried to pull back, but Emma held fast.

“I won’t leave you until I have absolutely no choice... even then, if it weren’t for Henry... oh, God, Regina... I don’t want to live without you!” Emma pulled back just enough to see Regina’s face and her tear filled green eyes locked onto the rich chocolate orbs before her. “I should’ve told you before, but I was afraid you wouldn’t... that you didn’t... I love you, Regina. I know you probably don’t feel the same, but I need you to know that, and I need you to know that I would take your place in a heartbeat if I could. I would die here with you, if not for our son.”

Regina’s eyes never left Emma’s, as her cuffed hands came up to her cheeks and held the blondes face gently. “Oh, Emma, but I do feel the same. I never said anything because you deserve so much better, and I never imagined someone like you could ever love someone like me. I considered myself incredibly lucky that you were even my friend. I love you, Emma, with all my heart.” 

The wall was now mere inches away and Regina whispered, “It’s time. You need to go...”

“I will always love you Regina.” Emma threaded her fingers into the mayors rich dark tresses and brought their lips together in a kiss that began as a gentle meeting, but instantly flamed into a deeper, hungrier one as they were frantic to make the most of their last moments. 

Suddenly Emma broke the kiss, as something registered in her subconscious. “It stopped... oh my God, Regina, it stopped!” It had. The wall was no longer moving and Regina held up her cuffs and Emma sent some white light through her fingertips, and Regina’s hands were free. Emma quickly jumped to her feet and pulled Regina up after her, towing the smaller woman away from the wall, just to be safe. 

They clung to each other, in the first real hug they’d ever shared that didn’t include Henry. Tears still streamed down their faces and they trembled with residual fear, as their heart rates settled and the adrenaline slowly drained from their bodies. “True loves kiss,” Regina murmured, disbelief in her voice. “I never imagined that I would ever experience it, and clearly neither did Stephane. In fact he built it into the curse as a cruel joke, knowing nobody could ever love the Evil Queen.”

“The Evil Queen is gone,” Emma said, firmly, looking at Regina carefully. “She is long gone, replaced by the most incredible woman I know. He didn’t count on that.”

“He underestimated us. If he ever dares to return here, we won’t make that mistake again.” Regina vowed, “I will fireball the bastard into another realm and it won’t be one he’ll enjoy.”

Emma pulled Regina close again and they stood their for the longest time just relishing the feeling of closeness they’d both been wanting for so long. “So, what happens now?” Regina asked, gazing up at Emma. “The people of Storybrooke will never accept this... accept us. Especially your parents.”

“Regina, I’ve been hiding my feelings for long enough. I don’t really care what anyone thinks, other than Henry. And you, of course. Do you want there to be an ‘Us’? I mean, am I assuming too much here...” Emma’s eyebrows knitted in concern and uncertainty. 

Regina shook her head. “You are not. I want there to be an ‘us’ more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I just want to scream it from the rooftops that you love me.”

Voices were heard outside and Emma knew Snow had returned with David, and whoever else she’d found as backup. “How about we start with my parents and work our way up? Mom already knows how I feel anyway and she only wants me to be happy. Dad... well, he’ll come around in time.”

“Thanks to you, we have time. I still can’t believe you found me out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“I could feel you... as soon as I stopped panicking and focused I could feel you. I will always find you, Regina, but I really hope I never have to again.”

“So do I,” Regina agreed, leaning in to kiss the woman she adored, just as the door opened and the ‘rescue party’ burst inside.

“What the Hell?” David exclaimed. “There must be a new curse!”

Snow replied, “Nobody is cursed. Our daughter has finally found her path in life.”

“But... with...”

“Love doesn’t follow rules David. Come on. Nobody here needs to be saved.” She took him by the arm and they backed out of the cabin, closing the door behind them.

Emma and Regina looked at each other and chuckled. “Thanksgiving dinner is gonna be interesting,” Emma said.

“Indeed,” Regina drawled. “Every moment we’ve shared since we met has been interesting.”

“Nothing worth having is ever easy, Regina and this... this is worth everything. We’re going to hit bumps along the way, for sure. We’re just going to have to hold on tight to each another and enjoy the ride.”

Regina gazed into the earnest green eyes and saw nothing but love staring back. “Emma, you’ve saved me... not just tonight, but from the path of self destruction I was on. This new path we’re on now...I will fight tooth and nail to protect it... to protect us. I love you, Emma Swan.”

“I love you, Regina Mills.” Emma reached up and caressed her face, tears filling her eyes at the love she felt for this woman. “What do you say we get out of here?”

“I say let’s go Sheriff.”

Emma just smiled, took Regina’s hand and they moved to the door, stepping outside. Daylight was just starting to break and the sun was glittering through the trees. “ Magic or walk?” Emma asked.

“Let’s walk for now. I’m not quite ready to share you.” Regina squeezed her hand.

“Works for me. Lead the way, Madame Mayor. I’m right behind you.”

“No,” Regina said as they moved down the path hand in hand. “Beside me. Always beside me.”

Emma smiled. Yesterday losing Regina, had been the most devastating feeling but it had somehow led to this, which she just knew was the start of the best part of her life. “Always, my Love.” 

Together, they walked into the sunlight.


End file.
